Representations of Youth

The three media texts that I will use in this essay is: The TV Show - The Inbetweeners 
The video game - Bully 
The Advert - NSPCC

Starting with the NSPCC advert, a constructionist approach can be applied to it. The child in the advert has a miserable and sad expression. The child also has big, wide eyes with dark pupils to emphasise a miserable and dark look, and along with the lack of makeup, this connotes innocence and how vulnerable she is. One side of her face is also dark, showing that the only true emotions inside of how are negative and dark. The acne on her forehead implies that she is very young, possibly around 13 - 14, and automatically challenges the audiences need to nurture. The photograph of the girl is a BCU, which gives the audience no other options other than to stare at the child's sad face. The lack of space and freedom inside the photograph shows that the child is isolated and trapped inside her thoughts, and she is unable to escape from this difficult situation. The encoders use a clever technique of showing that the child is unable to peak, and that is the mute symbol on the lips of the child. This shows that they are being controlled by someone bigger than them, and the child physically cannot speak out because she is scared about what would happen to her if she were to speak to someone for help. This mute symbol is red, which signifies danger to the audience. The advert is targeted to adults who have the potential of helping the child, and these adults are possibly parents, as they will possibly personally identify with the advert, imagining that the child is one of their own. The target audience is possibly going to be a Mainstreamer, as it reaches out to them for their need to protect.  The audience can take the preferred reading of the advert, and accept that children are unable to speak out once they have been abused. Our society values the protection of children, the Government of our country pass constant laws that stop children from being abused or scarred by those stronger than they are, and with the constant adverts about child safety, they try and persuade people into donating to help children who have been abused. Our society punishes those who harm children in any way, in the form of a prison, or rehabilitation centre. 

All media texts are mediated to reinforce the encoders ideology, and this is clear in the advert. The process can be split into 3 different elements, Selection, Organisation, and Process. Starting with selection, the child in the advert has been selected for a numerous amount of reasons. The model is a young, sad and miserable child, who suffers with acne and struggles to speak out about her abuse. The image selected shows her as vulnerable, and makes her seem isolated from the real life world. Her eyes are positioned in such a way that makes it seem like she is staring up at the audience, which possibly gives the view that the girl is desperate for help. The coverlines below the child read "When you cant talk about abuse, talk to us" which is selected to show that NSPCC are there for the child, almost like a family would be there for their child. The image is shot in a close up, which draws attention to specific parts of her facial expressions, like her acne and her eyes and mouth, all symbolise to the audience that the girl is distressed and clearly emotionally hurt. The close up also encourages the audience to stare into the eyes of the girl, making a personal connection between the two. The clear focus of the magazine cover is to to show the audience how young a chil can be when they have been abused. It represents that young, teenage girls are emotionless when they have been abused, and they need to speak oit in order to gain help or assistance in their time of struggle. 

The advert chooses to use writing at the bottom of the screen for multiple reasons. Naturally, our eyes read from top to bottom, so we are more likely to see the girl prior to reading the text at the bottom. This allows the audience to take a reading of their own, before seeing the encoders reading of it, which could give it a polysemic feeling. However, the use of dark lighting, the mute symbol and facial expressions all give the idea to the audience hat the message will not be positive. The NSPCC are  popular charity group known for typing to help children who may have been abused in the past. This knowledge of the charity gives the audience the comfort of knowing what the charity stands for. 

The advert could have used adults for their advert, however the use of children is better as it appeals to the audience, as it challenges their need to nurture, as the dominant ideology in society is that people who abuse children are locked up and away from the public. Children are more likely to stand out more to an audience rather than adults due to their weakness and vulnerability. 

The second media text that represents Youth is the video game Bully. Many of the characters in Bully portray the Youth in different ways, such as Peter, who is seen as vulnerable but obedient, and Gary, who manipulates other children into doing what he wants to do.